Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Dauphin County, PA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 79% of counties in Pennsylvania
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 86% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 289,538 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 518.9 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.79% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.1 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 121,332 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Dauphin County grew by 12.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 289,538 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Dauphin County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.4% of residents. That is 0.4 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 59,326 20.5% +0.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 61,985 21.4% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 58,259 20.1% -0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 50,928 17.6% -1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Pennsylvania, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.3% of the people living in Dauphin County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 48.7% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Dauphin County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Dauphin County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $76,316 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.00% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Dauphin County is about 2% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $131,945 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,217 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 63.1% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Dauphin County is about 9.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,217 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Dauphin County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 156 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.8 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.5 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 156 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,847 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.8% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,562 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,443 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Dauphin County is 19 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Dauphin County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.1% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.33 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Dauphin County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.5% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.9% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Dauphin County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Dauphin County, PA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 289,538 residents against a local median of 90,556. The measure that sets Dauphin County, PA apart most is median home price: $131,945, 34% above the local median of $98,577.
The counties themselves spread $155,533 on median home price, so Dauphin County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Dauphin County, PA has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin County, PA | 289,538 | $76,316 #4/6 | $131,945 #3/6 | 18.8 min #2/6 |
| Lebanon County, PA | 144,187 | $78,489 | $144,003 | 18.9 min |
| Northumberland County, PA | 90,556 | $60,926 | $86,986 | 21.0 min |
| Snyder County, PA | 39,662 | $67,239 | $48,253 | 18.0 min |
| Perry County, PA | 46,229 | $79,736 | $98,577 | 32.0 min |
| York County, PA | 462,883 | $85,271 | $203,786 | 22.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
What is the population of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania?
About 289,538 people live in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, in 121,332 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.1, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Dauphin County, Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania has 519 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Dauphin County, Pennsylvania an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($131,945 against $76,316), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,217 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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